The University Digital Library as a Center for Increasing the Digital Competences of Students

This paper aims to outline the advantages of increasing the quality of education at the University by describing some important organizational approaches and methodological guidelines for the development of digital competences among students. The study focuses on the level of digital (library) competencies among students and their need to use scientific information sources in the University Library. A survey was conducted using the direct individual inquiry method through a pre-designed questionnaire comprising 20 questions. The statistical apparatus includes statistical methods - frequency, mean value and confidence level – 95 %. The survey results suggest that in today's digital society it is particularly important for the Library to become an information-communicative center for improving the students' skills by using the rich collection of information and digital resources and increasing the quality of education and training at the University. The presented study seeks to offer new approaches and ways to motivate students toward effective use of digital information and of new tools for working in the digital environment

About the magnetic fluctuation effect on the phase transition to superconducting state in Al

The free energy and the order parameter profile near the phase transition to the superconducting state in bulk Al samples are calculated within a mean-field-like approximation. The results are compared with those for thin films.Comment: 11 pages, miktex, 2 figure

Thermodynamics of ferromagnetic superconductors with spin-triplet electron pairing

We present a general thermodynamic theory that describes phases and phase transitions of ferromagnetic superconductors with spin-triplet electron Cooper pairing. The theory is based on extended Ginzburg-Landau expansion in powers of superconducting and ferromagnetic order parameters. We propose a simple form for the dependence of theory parameters on the pressure that allows correct theoretical outline of the temperature-pressure phase diagram for which at low temperatures a stable phase of coexistence of p-wave superconductivity and itinerant ferromagnetism appears. We demonstrate that the theory is in an agreement with the experimental data for some intermetallic compounds that are experimentally proven to be itinerant ferromagnetic exhibiting spin-triplet superconductivity. Some basic features of quantum phase transitions in such systems are explained and clarified. We propose to group the spin-triplet ferromagnetic superconductors in two different types of thermodynamic behavior, on the basis of quantitative criterion deduced from the present theory and the analysis of experimental data.Comment: Phys. Rev. B (2009) in PRESS; 14 pages, 1 table, 6 figures, Latex2

EVALUATION OF ANESTHESIA-SURGERY STRESS IN CESAREAN SECTION BY EXAMINATION OF THE CATECHOLAMINES IN URINE

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New features of the phase transition to superconducting state in thin films

The Halperin-Lubensky-Ma (HLM) effect of a fluctuation-induced change of the order of phase transition in thin films of type I superconductors with relatively small Ginzburg-Landau number $\kappa$ is considered. Numerical data for the free energy, the order parameter jump, the latent heat, and the specific heat of W, Al and In are presented to reveal the influence of film thickness and material parameters on the properties of the phase transition. We demonstrate for the first time that in contrast to the usual notion the HLM effect occurs in the most distinct way in superconducting films with high critical magnetic field $H_{c0}$ rather than in materials with small $\kappa$. The possibility for an experimental observation of the fluctuation change of the order of superconducting phase transition in superconducting films is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, MikTexTeX, 3 fig, 2 Tables, corrected some typos, Submitted J.Phys:Cond Ma

High sensitivity nanoparticle detection using optical microcavities

We demonstrate a highly sensitive nanoparticle and virus detection method by using a thermal-stabilized reference interferometer in conjunction with an ultrahigh-Q microcavity. Sensitivity is sufficient to resolve shifts caused by binding of individual nanobeads in solution down to a record radius of 12.5 nm, a size approaching that of single protein molecules. A histogram of wavelength shift versus nanoparticle radius shows that particle size can be inferred from shift maxima. Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratio for detection of Influenza A virus is enhanced to 38:1 from the previously reported 3:1. The method does not use feedback stabilization of the probe laser. It is also observed that the conjunction of particle-induced backscatter and optical-path-induced shifts can be used to enhance detection signal-to-noise

Functional renormalization for quantum phase transitions with non-relativistic bosons

Functional renormalization yields a simple unified description of bosons at zero temperature, in arbitrary space dimension $d$ and for $M$ complex fields. We concentrate on nonrelativistic bosons and an action with a linear time derivative. The ordered phase can be associated with a nonzero density of (quasi) particles $n$. The behavior of observables and correlation functions in the ordered phase depends crucially on the momentum $k_{ph}$, which is characteristic for a given experiment. For the dilute regime $k_{ph}\gtrsim n^{1/d}$ the quantum phase transition is simple, with the same ``mean field'' critical exponents for all $d$ and $M$. On the other hand, the dense regime $k_{ph}\ll n^{1/d}$ reveals a rather rich spectrum of features, depending on $d$ and $M$. In this regime one observes for $d\leq 3$ a crossover to a relativistic action with second time derivatives. This admits order for $d>1$, whereas $d=1$ shows a behavior similar to the low temperature phase of the classical two-dimensional $O(2M)$-models.Comment: 31 pages, new reference

Optical detection of single non-absorbing molecules using the surface plasmon of a gold nanorod

Current optical detection schemes for single molecules require light absorption, either to produce fluorescence or direct absorption signals. This severely limits the range of molecules that can be detected, because most molecules are purely refractive. Metal nanoparticles or dielectric resonators detect non-absorbing molecules by a resonance shift in response to a local perturbation of the refractive index, but neither has reached single-protein sensitivity. The most sensitive plasmon sensors to date detect single molecules only when the plasmon shift is amplified by a highly polarizable label or by a localized precipitation reaction on the particle's surface. Without amplification, the sensitivity only allows for the statistical detection of single molecules. Here we demonstrate plasmonic detection of single molecules in realtime, without the need for labeling or amplification. We monitor the plasmon resonance of a single gold nanorod with a sensitive photothermal assay and achieve a ~ 700-fold increase in sensitivity compared to state-of-the-art plasmon sensors. We find that the sensitivity of the sensor is intrinsically limited due to spectral diffusion of the SPR. We believe this is the first optical technique that detects single molecules purely by their refractive index, without any need for photon absorption by the molecule. The small size, bio-compatibility and straightforward surface chemistry of gold nanorods may open the way to the selective and local detection of purely refractive proteins in live cells

Gold nanorods grown from HgTe nanoparticles directly on various surfaces

Gold nanorods (NRs) are nucleated by HgTe semiconductor nanoparticles. Growth of ~200 X 50 nm2 NRs directly on various surfaces is achieved by using an intermediary polyelectrolyte layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the deposition of gold. An increase in the intensity of the Au NR plasmon resonance is observed with optical extinction spectroscopy. This seeding technique, amenable to many different surfaces, suggests a simple synthetic route to composite materials with interesting electronic and optical properties.Peer reviewedPhysicsChemistr